Okay, no suit and tie, but comfortably tasteful and probably just a touch classier than usual. It's a sad but honest fact that if you want anyone to pay attention to you at a high-end store, then you have to look like a customer. Being younger (I'm 27) makes it all the harder to get anyone to answer questions or be able to listen to equipment. It's discriminatory, but a sad fact of life.

I am a coat-and-tie person during weekdays, and jeans and T-shirts on weekends. What I've noticed is I get better service when I have on my my coat and tie. Most of my purchases, however, were made when I was unshaven and had on my faded jeans.

If you go to a reputable shop, they should help regardless of your looks. Of course, there is a difference between looking normal and wearing just a bathrobe. If they offer assistance to normal looking folks, then thats a good thing. My experience is not based on what you wear but how old you look. High end shops ALWAYS, in my recent trips, hit the upper generation listens before talking to me. They just lost a $1000+ sale. Next shop please. By the way I'm almost 30, dress in jeans and a polo shirt when I visit a brick and mortar shop.

I once was told at the local high end shop that I don't look like I have any money. That was just after I had told him about another shop. He knows I do have alittle money as I just left him some for my gear.

The sales staff always aproach with the assumption that I'm looking for a low-end component. But once the realize that I know what I'm talking about and that I'm not interested in the low end, dressing down ca usually get me better pricing on high end components.